Silent Death
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: A wrong turn after running away from his father and brother brings Sam a little too close for comfort with the darker side of heaven. Za'afiel, the Angel of Wrath, decides she isn't going to let her siblings bring the Apocalypse and strikes a deal with Sam. Now he's trapped between two worlds, his wrath stuck acting as the new warden to Silent Hill...
1. Chapter 1

Sam openly cursed leaving his brother and his dad, no matter how much the two of them royally pissed him off. Leaving the perceived safety of his family because he didn't want to be a Hunter only to land in a place far worse... how big of an idiot could he be? Especially since he was well aware of how many things would love to eat, kill or otherwise maim him just because they could.

It wasn't all bad though. He was protecting an innocent girl looking for her dad, though for some reason the things here seemed to avoid him. He just couldn't figure out why.

Sharon, from what he understood, was the 'innocence' of the creature that inhabited Silent Hill. The last good part of something that had become corrupt and evil.

And it was pissed.

Breathing heavily, the two of them went into the asylum. It was there that Sam first laid eyes on the Seal of Metatron, which Sharon had ripped out of the warped body of a madman. And that was when the first vision hit Sam like a brick to the head.

"Sam!" cried Sharon.

He could feel the seal in his hands. He could see a vision of Dean and his father searching for him, Dean more than John. He could see Bobby reaching out to the other hunters trying to locate him.

And that was when the scene shifted. It shifted to something much darker.

 **You do not belong here.**

Sam saw a vision of a girl in a rather old fashioned dress. Her skin was as pale as death itself, her eyes as black as night. Her hair was lanky, as if it had not been washed or taken care of in years. Her lips were blacked by who knew what.

 **How did you enter into my domain, Vessel of the Mourning Star?**

 _Who are you?_

 **I go by many names. Demon. Monster. Darkness.**

 _You are Alessa._

 **No. I am what is left of Alessa after the woman destroyed that which harmed the innocent. All that remains is for the girl to reclaim the darkness that is left willingly.**

 _And damn herself in the process._

Alessa...whatever her name was...had a cold smile, as if privy to some joke only she was aware of.

 **As if you have any room to talk, Vessel of the Mourning Star. However I may be willing to make an agreement with you.**

 _I won't make deals with demons!_

 **Even if it means sparing the pain of another?**

Sam paused. It was in his nature to help others, especially the innocent...and Sharon was innocent.

 _What is your demand?_

 **When the girl finally reclaims the darkness that is left, and defeats the last bastion of evil that scarred Alessa's soul with hate, there will be a chance. A chance for you to spare her the burden of bearing my power.**

 _How?_

 **By taking me into your soul, and the burden yourself. Do that, and you will always know when you are growing too close to the darkness.**

 _What do you get in exchange?_

 **Not everything in this world is painted in black and white. I may be full of wrath, but that does not make me evil.**

 _If I do this. If I agree to harbor your power...will you let them go? Will you let me return to my family?_

 **If you survive until the end, you may return to the 'real' world...but a part of your soul will remain here in my keeping, until I have need of you.**

Sam weighed his options. In the end his desire to save another from having to bear the curse of darkness.

 _Fine. I'll bear her burden, if only to save her soul._

Even if it meant damning his own.

Sam staggered, unaware of his surroundings. He had taken the Seal of Metatron into his body...and the power of the darkness into his soul. The thing that called itself "Alessa" removed a chunk of something from his body and kept it in Silent Hill. And until it was returned, he would never be whole.

He barely heard the voice of someone calling out to him...and eventually passed out right in front of another hunter.

By the time Dean and Bobby got to him, he was already lost. His soul was trying to sort out some form of balance as the thing had taken the darker parts of his nature into it...all while carving it's true name into his soul, waiting for the moment when it would call in the debt and awaken once more.

Sam would wake up a few days later...and he wouldn't remember anything about Silent Hill or the bargain he struck with the entity that claimed the area.

* * *

 _Several years later..._

Sam didn't know what to do. Because of him, Dean was going to hell and there was nothing he could do. He had even tried to make a deal for Dean's soul in exchange for his own, but the demon wouldn't even take it.

Dean was out getting drunk and laid, since he wouldn't have a chance once he fell into the pit.

He sighed, before his eyes happened to meet that of the mirror. It was a perfectly ordinary mirror, nothing supernatural about it. Except when Sam actually looked into it, he saw something that made him want to reach for the Colt, if that bitch Bela hadn't stolen it.

His eyes were black as night, and his skin looked corpse pale. His hair was several shades too dark, as if it were covered in a thick lair of soot or ash.

The longer he stared at the strange, almost demon-like version of himself, the more he remembered an odd quote.

 _The more you stare into the Abyss, the more it stares into you._

Suddenly he jumped, realizing there was someone there.

"Who are you?"

" **Why Sam, don't you remember? The bargain we struck? The promise you made that day?"**

Memories crashed into his mind, and if he hadn't experienced that and more over the years he would have thrown up.

"Alessa."

" **Not anymore. That name died when Sharon retook the darkness that survived and reclaimed her soul. Now, Samuel Winchester, there is the small matter of a bargain we made."**

"I don't care. You can have my soul if you want, demon, but I want something in exchange."

The 'other' him looked somewhat amused.

" **What makes you think you have any choice?"**

"Because I'll shoot myself right here and now otherwise," he stated flatly.

The thing smirked.

" **Fine. What is it you want, Vessel?"**

"How do I save my brother?"

" **Dean's soul is doomed to the pit...however there is another game you were never aware of that came into play the moment he struck that deal. There is nothing I can do to reverse the deal...however I can be of use the moment he is released from hell."**

Sam looked at the thing in disbelief.

"Released from hell?"

" **The first seal in Hell to a very special cage will break the moment your brother does and spills blood in the pit. Once that happens, the Heavenly Host will bring him back, at no cost to you."**

"How do I know I can trust you?"

" **When have I ever lied? You asked that I release the girl and her parents, and I did. I even let that child stained in the beliefs of that cult go. I sent you back to your family, and removed the memories of that place until it was time to settle up our bargain,"** said the thing.

Sam was silent, because the thing was telling the truth. He even had chats with Sharon, who still kept in touch with him after he saved them.

"Are you absolutely sure Dean will come back? That he won't remain in that place forever?"

" **The demons won't release Dean until he spills blood, and heaven will bring him up after that. Like I said, there is another game that has been running in the background since before you were even born. If you truly want to save your brother once he returns, then you must hold up your end of the bargain."**

Sam sighed. He remembered that the thing had held a part of his soul 'in trust' until it was time to collect, so it would always be able to find him.

Hearing the Impala coming up the road, Sam got up and held out his hand.

"Fine. I'll stick to the deal we made that day."

The thing grabbed his arm, and he could feel something go into his body. A darkness that seemed to dislike the demon's blood in his system, replacing it with something else. Something that was dark...but at the same time wasn't evil. Not in the same sense a demon was. And Sam remembered all too well how foul a demon's soul felt.

This thing, whatever it was, wasn't a demon.

 _Can I least get a name?_

 _ **My name...Vessel...is Za'afiel.**_

And with that, the being disappeared with Dean none the wiser of what happened.

But Sam would remember. And even after trying to sleep it off, he would always catch a glimpse of that place. That parallel dimension called 'Silent Hill' out of the corner of his eye...and the guardian that the entity had created to protect itself and bring swift justice to those that so richly deserved it.

Pyramid Head.

The only thing Sam couldn't figure out was why the thing called it Za'afiel, which meant "Wrath of God". That was the name of an angel! Why would something so dark have an angel's name?

* * *

The name bugged Sam so much that he started looking more into angels whenever Dean and Bobby weren't exactly watching him. All the times Ruby tried to seduce or corner him, he would inexplicably get a massive migraine and have to leave. So while he waited for whatever it was to pass, he would read.

And what he read about the angel that personified the "Wrath" of god made him wonder if he had made a deal with the devil...except this one at least did have some compassion.

Za'afiel was there when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed...in fact it was right there next to Uriel and Gabriel setting the place ablaze.

However history couldn't seem to make up it's mind about whether the angel was male or female. Apparently it had no preferred vessel, instead selecting one soul to act as it's host until God was appeased.

That was when Sam slowly began to delve into Silent Hill...and one of the lesser known stories about the area.

Alessa wasn't the first one to fall prey to Za'afiel.

There was one before her, only the first time the angel left after destroying the problem. Apparently it hadn't been very thorough, because the Order came right back in full force and nearly took the area.

So Za'afiel must have come back on orders, and this time decided to let none escape except those who had nothing to do with the Order at all. And she used Alessa as her conduit.

 **You are actually interested in why I chose Alessa?**

Sam almost jumped.

 _I find history is fascinating. Why did you pick her? I mean her body was burned so badly there wasn't any chance she could live a normal life._

 **God sent a message to Micheal through the gardener, Joshua. He said since I missed the last vestige of the Order that I was to go back until it was wiped from the records of the world, and that I was no longer under Heaven's jurisdiction.**

 _He threw you out?_

 **You misunderstand. He knew I was uncomfortable in Heaven...it's too bright and militaristic. I actually told the gardener that I preferred Earth because at least here I didn't have to live with the hypocrisy and the lies. So my Father gave me a reason to stay here and not have to deal with Micheal or his sycophants. I would rather be the warden of a pocket dimension only barely connected to this one than have to deal with that.**

Sam thought that one through. He could understand...barely.

 _Do you have any idea why I've been getting migraines?_

 **I'm not about to let this vessel become corrupted by the taint of hell. If you allow Ruby too close she will convince you to imbibe demon's blood, and angels as a rule do not tolerate their filth. Your soul is inhabited with enough darkness just having me in it. You don't need to add more. Would you prefer I did something else? It won't be as pleasant as giving you a migraine.**

 _Why do I have an ominous feeling about that other option?_

 **It's your choice. Migraines, or Truth.**

Sam still had the Seal of Metatron in his body, though he didn't remember it. If he wanted, he could see the true nature of things through Za'afiel's eyes. However not everyone could handle that sort of information.

 _Could you just tone down the migraines? It always feels like I've been drinking too much and it's really annoying._

He could hear the angel's snort. He didn't know if it was a yes to his request...he was still surprised it had deigned to talk to him.

* * *

Sam was angry and confused. Dean kept dying and the day resetting. He had seen his brother die in ways he only thought happened in the older cartoons, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

And to make matters worse, he kept getting the nasty migraines Za'af seemed to favor.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

 _How do I get out of this town without Dean dying?_

 **It's about time you asked. I recognize this sense of warped humor, and frankly I think it's time we give him a dose of his own medicine. Let me take control and we'll force his hand.**

Sam debated on the idea, but the angel had already agreed not to hurt Dean or Bobby. Finally he let it take control.

Dark Sam, as he had come to call that form, managed to hide it's black eyes...but there was the distinct sense that there was something sinister in their depths.

Dean didn't notice until it was too late that Sam had knocked him out cold, grabbed their things, and put them all in the car. He turned the ignition on, since if he had allowed Dean to drive it was very likely whatever curse or spell was on him would have blown up the car and reset the day.

By the time Dean woke up, they were already long gone and Sam was back in control.

He looked pissed.

"What the hell Sammy?"

Sam's grip on the Impala's steering wheel was tight.

"Something in that town kept killing you and then resetting the day so that I would have to relive you being killed."

Dean's anger started to bled away.

"How many times?"

"I lost count after thirty. And a lot of them wouldn't have looked out of place in _Looney Tunes_ or _Tom and Jerry_. And if I hear that damn song one more time I'll be the one to end you," said Sam tightly, thinking of how many times he had to wake up with "Heat of the Moment" blaring in his ears.

"So the reason you're driving and knocked my ass out...?"

"I wouldn't put it past whoever's doing this to kill you by blowing up the car once you turned on the ignition," deadpanned Sam.

Dean paled, before he said "Good call Sammy. I'd hate for anything to happen to Baby."

 **...Is your brother really that obsessed with his car?**

 _He damn near had a heart attack when that semi crashed into it. He wouldn't dare hurt his precious car._

Za'afiel seemed amused by this information.

That was when whatever it was that was doing this struck. A car slammed right into Dean's side of the car, killing him on impact.

Sam woke up again, with that damn song blaring in his ear.

Oh it was so on now. He was not letting this go until he had punched the bastard responsible in the face.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean eyed his brother carefully. He had woken up in a _really_ pissed off mood and Dean knew that when Sam was that mad it was best to stay off his radar. He tended to get pretty nasty when he was in a bad mood.

Dean liked to joke he was PMSing, but he wasn't suicidal enough to say that when Sam was within earshot.

Sam had been fine the day before, but now he looked like he was on the warpath to deck someone. What the hell had pissed him off?

Dean really, really hoped it wasn't him pranking him with that stupid song...though the look Sam shot the radio said he wanted to use some of those demon-blood powers to set the thing on fire if he could.

* * *

Dean was so worried about his brother he didn't see the ball coming that killed him.

Death number 45. Sam was getting a little extreme to his treatment of an 'innocent' radio. Today he shot the thing until it shut up. The day before he somehow found a fireman's ax and chopped it into little pieces. The day before that he almost killed Dean himself when he threw it at the wall to the bathroom. Dean nearly pissed himself as the thing practically exploded into little pieces.

Naturally his new method of waking up made Dean a little jumpy around his brother. And probably would for a week unless Sam got out of this.

On the plus side, Rath (what he called his dark side since Sharon was actually Za'afiel's true vessel), had some rather amusing ideas of how to destroy that damn radio for the mornings.

Who knew that such a dark angel would have a real sense of humor?

As it was, it was only his frustration with this whole scenario that he finally agreed to see Truth rather than deal with the migraines anymore.

Though it wasn't until he realized what he was seeing that he realized what Rath had meant by 'seeing Truth'. Or that he even remembered about the seal he had taken inside himself in order to spare Sharon and her family. Removing it wouldn't kill him, but it would hurt like a bitch.

Recreating it, however, was doable.

So when he saw the pancake eater shine from an internal light with six massive white and gold wings on his back, he finally knew the culprit of his own personal hell. And it took everything in his power not to deck the bastard.

Fortunately Rath had a solution...even if it wasn't something he would have considered right off the bat.

He spent all of ten minutes in the 'bathroom', when in reality he was working out a way to retrieve a small bottle of what smelled like oil. It was something Za'afiel had been stockpiling for years, apparently.

Once he cornered the damn thing, whatever it was, he did what Rath told him to do. He threw the oil on him and brought out a lighter.

"What the heck was that for?" demanded the thing.

"That was for making me live through my brother dying fifty-seven times in a row, you bastard," snapped Sam.

The guy shifted and sniffed what Sam had thrown on him. He had to admit, that damn Trickster was a pretty good actor considering how he barely managed to hide the fact he was freaked out about the oil on him.

"Now I'm giving you two choices," said Sam darkly, his voice making it pretty clear how pissed he was.

"I'm listening."

"Either you drop whatever the hell this is and let us go, or..."

"Or?"

"Or I deep fry a six-winged chicken," said Sam flatly.

Whatever the Trickster was about say, it went out the window the second Sam said "six-winged".

He was staring at him pretty intently.

"What?" said Dean.

"How is it that you can see _those_?"

"Your wings are pretty damn big, even if they look like white with gold tips that's been sitting in the ocean for centuries and covered in who knows how many tons of fish crap," said Sam. Seeing the wings bristle, it was pretty clear he had pissed off whatever the hell this Trickster was. "So which one are you? Raven? Puck?"

The midget Trickster still looked pissed.

"I'm Loki."

"I thought Loki was taller," quipped Dean. He shut up after the look Loki shot him.

"So, why did you put me in your own personal recreation of _Groundhog Day_?"

"To teach you a lesson," said Loki, before he snapped his fingers and ending their discussion.

However Sam had the distinct feeling that this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

* * *

He had definitely pissed off Loki but good. He killed off Dean with a random mugger, despite the fact that only a complete idiot would try to mug someone while the trunk was open and a whole shit ton of weapons were quite visible and ready for use.

He now had to try and track down the feathery bastard and beat the shit out of him. Loki still had no real idea how Sam could see his wings, but from the sound of it that was normal.

So when Bobby 'called' claiming to have found a ritual to summon the Trickster, Sam went for it.

But not before Za'afiel threw her two cents in.

 **I'd say it's about time we give him a taste of his own medicine, don't you? What would you say putting 'Loki' through the same darkness you endured in my realm?**

 _What do I have to do? Because he's seriously pissing me off at this point._

 **Let me do all the work, and you get to enjoy the show when he realizes who he's actually dealing with.**

At this point, he could care less _what_ Za'afiel put Loki through. The Trickster had thoroughly pissed him off with that stupid _Groundhog Day_ prank, and making him listen to ' _Heat of the Moment'_ one too many times.

If he ever heard that song again it was going to be shoot first, ask questions later.

'Sam' stabbed Bobby the second he heard the requirements, knowing that he was still firmly in the illusion. Loki gave him an odd look, as if he couldn't believe Sam was that desperate to kill the thing that murdered his brother.

Before he could say anything, the air raid sirens that haunted Sam's nightmares started going off. Loki looked baffled, because he wasn't the one doing it.

"What's going on?"

"The darkness is coming...and you really, really don't want to be outside when it does," said Sam cryptically.

As the walls began to peel and the floor seemed to rot away, Loki went from baffled to startled. This was _not_ part of his illusion, and he definitely wouldn't come up with something this creepy.

The atmosphere seemed filled with this malevolent presence, like he was a very tiny fish in a very big pond filled with a hungry shark or something equally predatory. The air had this distinct ashy quality too it, like there was a fire underground. The sky was pitch black without even a hint of light.

All in all it wouldn't have looked out of place in hell itself.

That was when Gabriel saw something on Sam's back that shouldn't be there. At all.

"Who are you?"

" **Come now, don't you remember me? All the time we spent destroying Sodom and Gomorrah with Uriel? Sending that flood that nearly wiped out humanity?"**

With each sentence Loki grew even more and more pale.

"Za'afiel."

" **Oh good, so you do remember me...Gabriel."**

 _Wait, THAT'S Gabriel?_

Okay, so apparently the movies _Legion_ and _Constantine_ weren't too far off with how much of a dick he was.

"How did you get out?" asked Gabriel, clearly upset at being busted.

" **This little hunter somehow managed to slip in with my true vessel, and made an agreement with me. I'd let the girl and her parents go in exchange for using him instead,"** said Za'afiel pleasantly.

"And he agreed to that?" said Gabriel incredulous.

" **I never once lied. Compared to that bitch Ruby he knew I would at least keep my word, even if he wasn't happy about it."**

Okay, Gabriel would concede that. Ruby was a liar and a manipulator, but Za'afiel at least kept her word, even if her methods left much to be desired.

"So how did he see my wings?"

" **I stole the Seal of Metatron before I left. Not like Micheal even noticed it was missing,"** said Za'afiel. She was not so secretly amused by the look of disbelief on Gabriel's face.

"Wait...so that Sasquatch used the Seal to find out who I was hiding as? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a human to use something like that?"

" **He didn't use the Seal, you idiot. He told me that he wanted to see Truth, so I tweaked his Sight."**

Actually she just powered up the Seal in Sam's body, and it did all the work. However if it was left on too long then it would inevitably be stuck like that, and he would never be rid of the Sight.

About the only good thing was that the Seal itself protected him so long as he had it. It shielded him from the worst of the Sight.

Za'afiel sent Sam deeper into her private realm, so he didn't hear the rest of the conversation. However when he woke up, he was back in that motel bed again...and Dean was looking properly wary of his brother.

Then again Sam had used a baseball bat on the radio the last morning.

"You alright Sammy?"

"I'll be fine if we can leave this damn town and I never hear that song again," said Sam flatly.

"You're not going to use a baseball bat on the radio again are you?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of flamethrowers or guns," said Sam. All he would need is some hair spray or something equally flammable and a lighter.

Dean could understand his brother having a trigger when it came to that song, after hearing about the fact Loki had trapped him in an illusion where Dean was killed off in random ways at least 60 times before it finally broke.

Dean didn't know what happened to Sam, but he knew his brother had spent six long months trying to track Loki down to make him pay.

He just wished he knew what the deal was with all that talk about 'wings'.

The two of them drove off almost immediately. They could get something to eat later, when they were far, far from the town.

Though in the back of his mind, Dean worried for Sam. He was terrified his brother might go down a dark path if he left him alone.

He had no idea Sam was already so entrenched in darkness that there was almost no way out.

* * *

Sam took one look at the FBI agent, and immediately started chanting the exorcism under his breath. Ever since the Mystery Spot, he had been seeing things. Things that shouldn't be there. That shouldn't exist.

He could see Truth, as Rath had put it. He could see everything, even the things he really didn't want to see.

The demon vacated the now dead agent, who showed no signs that the brothers had done anything.

"Sam, how did you..."

Sam winced.

"Remember how I could _see_ the Trickster despite the fact he was hiding? Apparently while I was stuck in there something happened to me, so now I'm seeing a lot of things I shouldn't," said Sam, half-lying.

"Wait...you can see a demon's true form?"

"Demons, hellhounds...the whole gambit. Even Ruby, which is why I've been avoiding her like the plague," said Sam.

"I don't know what the midget Trickster did to you in that stupid illusion, but if this keeps you away from Ruby then I'm all for it."

Dean didn't know what Ruby's game was, but he certainly didn't like her. At all. And the feeling was thankfully mutual.

"Actually, there is a way for you to see too. But it would take too long and you don't have the time," said Sam.

Dean perked up.

"What way is that?"

"There's a relic that dropped from heaven a long time ago called the Seal of Metatron. When it glows, it reveals the True nature of things, including those that are hidden from yourself. The thing is, only angels can use it or bestow it. But a replica of the Seal would give the one holding it a limited amount of Sight for a short span. Enough to see if there were demons around," said Sam.

"Why haven't I heard about this thing?"

"Because the relic fell in a place that's almost impossible to escape."

Dean looked, and really looked at his brother.

"Sam?"

"I'll explain more later. If we make it out of this. Bobby should probably hear this too, since he's the only one of us who might have heard about it."

After all, Bobby put in far more effort than John ever did, and he was the one that Sam saw first when he woke up. Odds were Bobby would know the name Silent Hill...and the history behind it.

* * *

Ruby didn't know why, but there was something...off...about Sam. His aura was dark. Too dark. Had he been drinking demon's blood without her convincing him? Where had he learned about the amplifying effects?

Either way it made her job that much easier.

"In order to deal with those demons outside, I'll need a virgin's heart," said Ruby.

"Yeah right, like anybody would still be a..."

Ruby stared at Nancy, the secretary.

"No way."

"Hell no. I'm not going to sit by while we kill someone just because you happen to have a spell to kill demons," said Sam.

Sam's aura grew darker, as if preparing for something. He had definitely been drinking demon's blood, because that was the only substance that could cause that reaction.

"So what's your plan then? Use your special little powers?" sneered Ruby.

"I was thinking more along the lines of luring them in here, then having the exorcism play on the speakers while you all use us as bait. Demons are idiots, after all," said Sam, openly insulting Ruby in the process.

Dean snickered.

"Good one."

"Like you're one to talk, drinking demon's blood behind your brother's back," said Ruby.

Sam blinked.

"Demon's blood? Why on earth would I drink demon's blood for?" said Sam, his voice filled with honest confusion.

"If you're not drinking demon's blood, then why is your soul so..." started Ruby, before she felt a pain in her chest.

"Why don't you ask Alessa that?" said Sam, staring at Ruby.

"Who's Alessa?" said Dean.

"The one before me," said Sam cryptically.

Alessa was Za'afiel's last vessel, though she passed on once Sharon came to claim the darkness that had been purified. Sam's darker nature could wield the same power, if he allowed it to train.

Za'afiel's nature didn't make him nearly as squeamish as finding out that he had the blood of the demon that murdered his mother in him. She, at least, did not lie.

Even if the truth hurt worse than anything. Even if he didn't want to hear it.

Ruby scoffed.

"Well if you aren't going to listen to reason, then let me out."

Sam went to undo the salt line, though he left a single cryptic message for the former witch.

"A word to the wise... it's better to be inside when they go off, otherwise _he'll_ find you," said Sam.

Ruby had no idea what he was talking about.

At least not until she was already trapped.

 **Well played, Samuel. Pyramid will be delighted with the new toy you've delivered him.**

 _I had a feeling he might. That body was just a husk, right?_

 **The owner died long ago. There is only that demon inside.**

"Sam?"

"Ruby's gone. Now we just need to worry about getting rid of the rest without killing the hosts," said Sam.

Dean's look clearly said they would be talking about this very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam had a cold beer in one hand, and two people ready to interrogate the hell out of him before him. Dean was worried and Bobby was suspicious.

He sighed.

"Well boy? You gonna sit there staring at nothin' or are you going to get explaining?"

"I suppose it's easier to start from the beginning. Have you ever heard of a place called Silent Hill?"

Bobby looked really upset at the name.

"I've heard of it. It's a prison for lost souls, and only the extremely lucky are ever able to leave it. However it's said that even if they escape, a piece of it always remains with them for the rest of their lives. Wait..."

"I somehow ended up there the last time I ran away from Dad and Dean. The time before I finally left for Stanford."

Bobby stiffened.

"What's so bad about Silent Hill?" asked Dean.

"It's said that a demon created a place, a dark place, where the mere sound of air raid sirens signals the coming of death. A place where it's safer to be indoors when the darkness falls, because otherwise the guardian will come after you."

"He's called Pyramid Head. And he's more of a guard dog than guardian," said Sam quietly, fiddling with his beer before taking a long pull.

"How did you get out if you went into the fog?"

"Who says I got out?" said Sam.

Bobby looked at him, and really looked at him.

"You made a deal."

"I made an agreement to free someone else, but in exchange I had to take her place. Until someone else attracts the attention of the 'warden' of that place, I'm stuck with her."

"Her? Who is 'her'?"

"A couple decades back there was a fire in a town called Silent Hill. It started after this religious cult tried to burn an innocent kid, but failed. In return the girl summoned some sort of demon and set the coal under the town on fire," said Bobby.

"Her name was Alessa."

As if summoned by the name, the walls began to peel away and the sky blackened. The air felt sooty, almost filled with ash.

Sam looked tired, as if he wasn't very surprised by what was happening.

"What's going on?" said Dean, reaching for his weapon.

"She's coming. Odds are she'll explain everything, but make you forget most of it except the most useless piece of information."

" **You know me so well,"** said Alessa.

Sharon's darker emotions had been all concentrated on Alessa. So when Sam had to name his darker side he just called it Rath to avoid confusing the two.

Rath was not Alessa. He didn't have nearly as much hatred and rage in him. But what he lacked in those areas he made up in wrath and vengeance.

Za'afiel's power was pretty straightforward. She took the darkest emotions in her vessel and amplified them, using it as a way to manifest her powers in the human world. However, because humans can't exactly _live_ with having those emotions ruling them full time without eventually turning into a demon, she split their souls. The darkness would live in her world while the light was able to move freely.

It was just that Sam was the first in a long time to realize that just because Za'afiel had his darker self didn't automatically make that side of him evil. As such he had a bit more control over the angel's powers and an easier time with the visions.

Even if he did sort of ask to see Truth, and not the pretty lies that shielded the world.

The world around Bobby's house felt like a _Bad Place_ , in all capital letters. Like something horrible had happened, and because of it dark things would linger. Like a hot spot for hunters to deal with.

"Boy...what exactly did you get tangled up in?" asked Bobby, his knife close to hand.

" **He made a deal after stumbling into my realm, and in exchange I let a family (plus one) leave unharmed. However part of his soul remains in my realm until I say otherwise."**

"Sammy, what did you do?" said Dean horrified.

Sam snorted.

"Like it's any worse than what you did to bring me back. At least when I'm dead I won't end up in hell," said Sam.

"What do you mean?" said Bobby.

" **Whenever there are atrocities that even Heaven cannot ignore, I am sent in to equalize things. Like some idiot humans trying to summon an arch duke of hell as their new god, and in exchange almost killing an innocent. There is a reason why I am called the 'Wrath' of god."**

"You mean to tell me you're an angel?" said Bobby, in open disbelief.

" **Is it really so hard to believe that just like there are pious warriors like that stick in the mud Micheal, or that annoying pain in the ass Gabriel, that there might be angels who serve a darker purpose like open murder?"**

"Please tell me you pranked the shit out of Gabriel," said Sam.

" **Of course I did. Did you really think I would let that stunt he pulled on you go? He's currently keeping Ruby company until he finds the exit...or until Rath gets bored with hiding the candy,"** said Za'afiel.

Sam snorted in open amusement.

"How can you be so calm about that thing being next to you?" said Dean.

"Thing? How rude. I'm calm because she can't kill me without drawing attention to what she did. She even had to allow a demon to possess me to hide the fact she screwed up the so called 'divine plan'. At least she doesn't hide the true nature of who she is or what she does. Truth, no matter what humans have to say about it, always comes out."

" **And there is always a price to be paid for power."**

"Oh yeah, and what price did Sam pay?" demanded Dean. He was clearly _not happy_ about this.

" **His innocence."**

Dean and Bobby stared.

"I hate to break it to you lady, but Sam lost that a long time ago," said Dean slowly.

Za'afiel shook her head. She was in the form of Alessa at the moment, or at least what she looked like right before Sharon reclaimed the last part of Alessa's soul.

" **When I said he lost his innocence, I mean he can no longer turn an oblivious eye to the Truth that lies within the world. He can see the true nature of demons, angels and even hell hounds. It was supposed to be a tool with which the righteous chosen by heaven could use to smite the wicked, but I stole it."**

"You...stole it."

Dean sounded incredulous.

" **Well it wasn't doing any good in the Armory, and we don't exactly _need_ it when we come down. Besides, no one has even realized the blasted thing went missing to begin with, and I checked," ** said Za'afiel in annoyance. It was perfect for her purpose, because it meant she could give false hope to the idiots trapped in her realm. Though the agreement was if they could get it to work then she had to let them go anyway, so it wasn't exactly false. Just a glimmer of hope in a sea of despair.

Like the old human saying went... Give a man enough rope and he'll eventually hang himself.

" **In any case you two have heard more than enough...so now it's time for you to forget."**

"Say what?!" said Dean, jumping up. He didn't even notice her behind him...he only felt a sharp jab at the back of his head before he crashed and vanished into his room. She went after Bobby next. He would wake up from a spot on a book about Silent Hill, unaware of what had happened.

"I hate lying to them."

" **It's only for a while longer, until I can come out properly. Once Dean is free and the full brunt of what Heaven is trying to do is felt, then we can quit hiding. For now all they'll remember is that you were in Silent Hill, and that you barely came out of it alive with someone else."**

Knowing he was in that place would be enough to keep Bobby from looking too deep, at least for now, and it would keep Dean from trying to ask questions he didn't need to know the answer to just yet.

The longer they kept the fact Sam was now the vessel of one of the darkest angels in existence was something they needed to keep quiet...at least until they had no other choice. It was to keep both of them safe.

Besides, Sam honestly would rather deal with an angel with a dark sense of humor than having to live with Lucifer toting him around like a meat suit.

* * *

Dean woke up the next morning, and the events of last night hit him like a brick.

His brother had quite literally went through hell, and had barely survived. It was a hard blow to take knowing Sam had needed him and he hadn't been there to protect him. Bobby had taken it harder, because he knew more about that dark place.

Sam might have escaped...but a part of him would always be trapped in Silent Hill. It would certainly explain why he was so distant at times.

But in the back of his mind there was a small part of him that remembered everything. Hidden away and buried like a bad memory.

Bobby woke up on a book that spoke about a place, a very dark place, where the restless souls of the living gathered...and were disposed of.

A place that had been built on ancient grounds that the Native Americans called the 'Hill of Silent Spirits'. Naturally when the Order foolishly tried to kill an innocent child in the name of their 'god', what they opened was a portal to hell.

At least, that was what the very rare survivors claimed.

However what little information Bobby had spoke differently. Yes, it could be _used_ as a portal to the pits of hell, but the demons who tried to escape that way were as trapped as the humans who wandered into it. They were no more safe from the 'darkness' than the humans were. And from what he understood, those possessed by demons were generally more vulnerable and ended up part of the landscape in short order.

So it was similar to hell in the human sense, but demons avoided it whenever possible.

Bobby felt a deep pain in his soul knowing Sam had gone through that place and lived.

* * *

 _Are they in place?_

 **Of course. The moment Dean's soul touches the pit, they will be on him as guard dogs. And the first moment they leave him alone I shall send _him_ in to break the chains and clear the way. After all, this will be the first time I've pranked my brothers and sisters in a very long time, and a good way to remind them I am still alive.**

She had already let Gabriel out, if only because he had managed to find Rath and annoyed him until he did. But Ruby? She was gone.

Rath hadn't wasted any time capturing her and torturing her for information, before Za'afiel used her special sword to kill the bitch. Boy, had that been a nasty surprise for her, finding out Sam had already made a deal with something far more nasty than her.

 _A pity cameras don't work in hell. I'd pay to see the look on Dean's face when he realizes Pyramid Head came down to guide him to Silent Hill._

Za'afiel cackled in agreement.

 **I want to see the expression on his face meeting Rath and realizing he's the darker side of your soul.**

Sam snickered evilly.

He could already see Rath pranking Dean mercilessly just because it would freak him out.

Ironically, Za'afiel didn't automatically kill any hell hounds that came into her territory. Apparently the angel had a soft spot for dogs.

Instead she kept them separate from the rest of those that got hunted down and killed, and waited until they had puppies before raising them. She had a sizable collection of canines that looked like hell hounds, but weren't because of repeated exposure to her grace. They were still pretty damn scary for normal humans to look at though.

Rath tended to stick around and play with the dogs whenever he wasn't acting as the warden of Silent Hill, and he had most of them trained at this point.

As such her hounds could blend in with the other packs in hell...and discreetly keep track of Dean so they couldn't loose him.

Right now they were all in position in the deeper parts of the pit, namely around Alistair's racks. The first chance they had, they were going to try and spring Dean from hell early.

* * *

Going up against Lilith didn't go exactly as planned. For one thing the thing was inside a child, which really pissed Sam off. Then she tried to use Bela's body to get close to them, except Sam had known it was her from the start and shot her twice with the Colt without even thinking about it.

Because he shot her before she could say anything, Lilith died before she could hurt Dean.

Unfortunately there was no stopping the hell hounds.

It was bad enough watching his brother killed because of Gabriel's malevolent pranks, but this was even worse because he knew there wasn't any coming back. He couldn't help Dean... regular bullets wouldn't kill a hell hound, and there were only so many in the Colt. And any attempt to kill them by hand would only end with him being mauled.

Za'afiel couldn't help either, since the angels were watching this event _very_ closely, and they were barely able to skate under their radar by pretending the darkness in Sam's soul was from the demon's blood.

At least they didn't have to deal with Ruby trying to seduce Sam into drinking even _more_ blood and getting addicted.

Sam spent all of two weeks mourning his brother...before he packed his bags, told Bobby he would call him in another month, and vanished back into Silent Hill.

He needed to be away from people who would give false sympathy and any form of alcohol right now, and hanging with Rath sounded infinitely better. And the less time he spent trying to hunt things down, the more he could spend actually dealing with the death of his brother in a healthy fashion.

Besides, he could finally pick out a hell hound to keep with him.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean never knew Hell was this terrifying. Though after the first decade he lost any sense of fear.

The weird thing was that there was these strange hell hounds always watching him like a hawk. He didn't know if they wanted to eat him or _what_.

After the second decade, he started to notice these weird demons that hung around. They almost looked like some version of a twisted nurse. They reacted to sound or other stimuli, and if a demon got too close or caused them to react, they would slash wildly and attack until the demon was dead.

Then came the acid ones. He had seen a few demons stupid enough to get close, and the thing would explode spraying some form of corrosive acid that ate into their forms causing them to scream.

The weirdest thing was that they never came more than twenty feet from him.

Finally Alistair's attention was taken up by another new arrival, leaving Dean to the tender mercies of another unpleasant demon.

This one had a habit of leaving Dean to his own devices for days at a time, only to come back three days later even worse.

That's when it happened, two years in.

One minute he was on the racks, the next he was gasping as he hit the ground hard, courtesy of one of those weird nurse demons.

It had slashed through the bindings.

Dean realized one of the odd hell hounds was growling, forcing him to stand on his feet. Since he healed up once the demons left (to better feel each torture fresh) he was in as good a condition as he was going to get in hell.

Every time he stumbled or paused, the hell hounds would nip at his heels. He noticed that the acid sprayers and the weird nurses were keeping any demons from getting close enough to realize he wasn't where he was supposed to be, and he couldn't muster up any pity for someone stupid enough to cross them.

That was before he realized there was something else following him. It wasn't until he realized the air was getting lighter that he even saw it, and almost wished he hadn't.

Whatever that demon was, it was _huge_. It carried a massive meat cleaver that looked like it had been used and used often...but one massive blow quickly proved that it was just as sharp as if it had come off the forge. The thing cut a demon in two with one blow, and Dean didn't ever want to be on the wrong end of that thing. And that was before he saw the thing quite literally rip out a demon's skin with just one hand and a swift moment. Whatever it was, it was stronger than anything he had ever pissed off before.

Dean passed by something that glowed too bright for his eyes since being stuck in the Pit...his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness.

Whatever it was, it was bright, it spoke a language he didn't know, and it was painful to be close to.

He found himself herded into someplace that was filled with ash and darkness. However it didn't have the overwhelming smell of sulfur or the sound of screams, so that was an improvement.

Seeing the hounds, the acid sprayers and the nurses leave, Dean had to wonder exactly what the point of all that was.

He did know one thing though...he wasn't in Hell anymore.

Right now he was more concerned about the thing that was right behind him with the giant ass cleaver.

He was a bit freaked when the pyramid thing walked right up behind him and grabbed him by the collar much like a dog would a pup it was carrying off. He didn't exactly _enjoy_ being dragged, but he wasn't going to fight it.

He wasn't a complete idiot.

Dean finally felt the grip release, and he was too tired to do anything at that point.

So imagine his shock when he woke up to a pale skinned, black eyed version of Sam who looked _identical_ to his brother at 17 only in a much darker context.

Dean slowly sat up, and found himself in a twisted parody of a house.

"Where am I?"

" **This is Silent Hill. Or one of them anyway. Pyramid Head had to drag you through some of the less pleasant ones to throw off the scent once Alistair or one of the others finds out you're gone."**

Dean blinked.

"Is that what that thing's called?"

The Sam lookalike shrugged.

" **He's the guard dog of this realm. She sent him to make sure they didn't manage to retrieve you."**

"So who or what are you?" said Dean. Because really, this thing was weirding him out big time looking so much like his brother.

"He's called Rath," said a very familiar voice.

Dean's head whipped around to see Sam.

"Sam?! What are you doing here?"

"I've been living here for the past five weeks," said Sam dryly.

"What?"

Sam sighed.

"Can we unblock that memory yet or do we still have to wait?"

Rath listened to something, before shaking his head.

" **Too soon."**

Sam closed the book he had been reading.

"Long story short, after I left Silent Hill the first time I made a deal to take someone else's place. In exchange all the darker parts of my soul were left behind, mainly wrath and vengeance. However that doesn't mean I'm trapped here. I mostly came so I wouldn't be tempted to do something stupid, and most of those who end up trapped here generally deserve it in the long run. I'm mostly acting as the one doing the screen test until you're pulled out," said Sam.

People who had the bad luck of tripping Za'afiel's warding system and getting lost in the fog were the ones he had to deal with. So far the only ones who had wandered in were generally scumbags or people who deserved being stuck in this hell on earth. Like escaped felons or convicts.

Which meant he was able to spend a lot of time catching up on his reading while ignoring the screams thanks to his headphones.

"So why am I here?"

"Silent Hill is close enough to hell that the barriers between worlds is easily breached. However demons generally avoid this one because the 'warden' of this place dislikes them more than most. Any that wander into this realm are trapped and it would take some pretty absurd luck to get out. So I asked if we couldn't get you out."

Dean stared at him, as most of it had gone over his head.

Sam sighed.

"Think of hell as a prison."

Dean nodded.

"Silent Hill, which is the realm we're in, is another sort of prison, primarily for lost souls and the unlucky traveler who trips the 'alarms' and sets off the fog."

"Okay."

"What we did was like a prison transfer, only one that wasn't authorized by the other half," said Sam.

"Now that I get. So what happens once they find out I'm gone?"

" **Same thing that happens to all the other demons that wandered in here. Annihilation if they are caught when the sirens go off. Ruby, for example, didn't last long despite Sam's advice to go indoors once they went off."**

"Ruby's here?"

"Rath killed her months ago after she left that police station were were stuck in."

"Good riddance," said Dean vehemently. Alistair in particular was pretty smug about how Ruby would be corrupting his brother.

That was when there was this loud racket outside, as the walls began to peel off. The entire place looked like time had worn it away in a matter of seconds.

Dean was pretty freaked out, but Sam and 'Rath' looked perfectly calm.

"What's going on?"

"General sweep. Means that the monsters in these realms are going to have free reign for an unspecified amount of time until the ash starts to fall again. We're safe in here, but you're welcome to watch out the window," said Sam. He put on his headphones again and ignored everything else, turning on a light to continue his reading.

Once you got over the bouts of "Darkness", learned how to tune out the screams and didn't go outside, it was fairly easy to get used to Silent Hill.

Then again, he was the only person capable of leaving the place relatively of his own free will.

Dean, in a bit of morbid curiosity, went to the window. And what he saw had him question Sam's moral compass.

He shook Sam's shoulder and pointed out the window, his expression pretty clear on his face.

It read "Why aren't you doing something?!"

Sam pulled off his headphones and looked his brother in the eye.

"Dean, I needed a break from being a hunter in order to properly get over you being sent to hell because of me. And there are certain rules you have to follow while you're in here, especially if you have the ability to cross between here and the outside world without having to jump through hoops for it. Besides, most of those people who are being killed generally deserve it."

What Dean didn't know was that the window mostly displayed deaths that have already happened, or were in another layer of Silent Hill entirely.

Rath could move between them freely, but Sam couldn't and he didn't want to try. Especially since Za'afiel had a habit of showing the deaths of an order of religious zealots that had pissed her off.

Dean grit his teeth.

"Dean, we're in a pocket dimension that's so close to hell that makes no difference. It's easier for all involved if you learn to look the other way and focus on your own survival, especially when the sirens go off."

" **Especially since none of the assholes trapped here would help a child if it had fallen down once the darkness arrives. It's survival of the fittest,"** piped Rath.

Slowly the darkness receded, revealing an ash-gray sky.

"How can you live in this place?"

Sam looked at his brother in frustration.

"What did you expect me to do once you were gone?! It was either stay a hunter and possibly get myself killed out of grief and a misguided attempt to see you again, or find a place where I wouldn't be forced to listen to false sympathy about your death or the constant reminder of the fact you were gone! I knew Silent Hill was relatively a safe place to recover, so I left in order to grieve without having to deal with the constant reminders!"

In this place Sam didn't have to deal with anything. He was allowed to be alone and grieve without having to search for something to distract him. No one would pressure him, no one would ask him to do anything.

It allowed him to sort out his thoughts so long as he didn't try to interfere, and considering the sort that generally got lost in the fog, he wasn't exactly inclined to do so anyway.

It was relaxing, in a macabre sort of way.

Besides, it was nice to have an intelligent conversation for once, even if it was technically with himself.

Dean didn't look happy, but he liked the idea of his brother going off on a suicidal attempt to get killed even less.

"What about Bobby and my baby?"

"I left the Impala at Bobby's and told him I'd come back to get it later once I had sorted myself out. I never said a word about where I would be going, only that it would be outside cell phone range. He probably thinks I'm in a cabin somewhere, since I always did like nature," said Sam shrugging.

That made Dean a little less tense. He had seen the condition of the cars down there and they didn't inspire happy thoughts.

Rath cocked his head again.

" **Demons incoming. Want to watch the show when they realize where they are?"**

"Absolutely!"

Dean morbidly went to the window a second time, only this was focused entirely on the same area he came out of.

Sam put his hand on the window frame, and suddenly Dean saw the true forms of the demons.

They seemed surprised, then very unhappy upon realizing where they were and that the way was now closed off.

But that was nothing compared to what happened when the sirens went off. The demons had an expression on their faces that Dean almost didn't recognize.

"Are they actually panicking?" he said baffled.

"That's generally the response if you actually know what the sirens mean when they're going off. If it gets too intense you can leave the room for a bit, but if you hear the sirens going off outside then you should come back in or you have a high risk of being caught. Especially since Pyramid Head tends to stick around like a guard dog," said Sam.

Since Rath was the current 'incarnation' of Pyramid Head's master, that generally meant he followed his orders. The only reason he didn't kill Dean on sight was because Rath had given him orders to bring the 'soul' to him directly.

Dean wouldn't be so lucky a second time unless Rath was there.

Dean watched with open disbelief as the demons scrambled to get inside, only for most of their members to fall prey to the acid sprayers and those weird hell hound like creatures. And the ones that didn't get killed off by them found themselves facing an entire _horde_ of those mock nurse things, who went into attack mode thanks to the smell of sulfur in the air.

"She really hates demons, doesn't she? Almost makes you wonder how Azazel would have reacted if we had just thrown him in here instead of Dean shooting him with the Colt," commented Sam.

Dean stopped to consider the idea. Then he shook his head.

"Nah, way more satisfying shooting the bastard," said Dean.

"You might have a point, but then we wouldn't get to see the 'oh shit!' expression on his face when he realized where we had sent him," said Sam. Dean snorted in agreement.

"Next time," he said, "So what happens now?"

"Now we wait until either we find a way to put your sorry ass back in your body, or someone comes that isn't a demon that can do it for us. Because no offense, but I would rather have to deal with you trying to hit on those psycho nurses that kill people because you're hard up than live with the fact you're still in hell," said Sam.

"None taken," said Dean, slightly offended. Why would he even _consider_ those freaky nurse things as a viable option? He would have to be beyond desperate! Then a thought occurred to him and he looked at Sam oddly.

"Before you ask, no I haven't considered them an option. However I know you tend to go stir crazy if you haven't had any in a few weeks," said Sam, having correctly interpreted Dean's look. "Besides, some of them have their clothes ripped and if you remove anything sharp and pointy from the equation even you might consider it worth a shot...however disturbing the idea might be."

Dean blinked, considered that for a second, before he had to shake his head.

"I'd have to be beyond hard up...and more than slightly drunk," he muttered. Sam wasn't entirely wrong.

"Yeah, haven't found a drop of liquor here and I had Rath hide it if there was any. I think people tend to drink it or use it for Molotov cocktails the first chance they get. Part of the reason why I came," said Sam. The same went for drugs. He wouldn't be surprised if the people trapped had already used them all up, especially if they were to heal wounds.


End file.
